Northern and Central Turkey. 267 



of the hills on the right bank of the Vardar ; indeed, we found 

 molasse on the road from Gafadartzi to Perlepe, between Vo- 

 sage and Trojak, where it, in conjunction with conglomerate, 

 forms pretty considerable heights, some of which are upwards 

 of 1000 feet. The molasse also forms the Co/, which it is ne- 

 cessary to pass before descending into the Trojak basin ; and it 

 is covered with freshwater limestone, which forms a thick de- 

 posit throughout the whole extent of that picturesque and wild 

 valley. The inferior part of the valley is completely filled up 

 with this limestone, and a stream of water has cut a deep bed 

 for itself in it. This basin does not seem to have communica- 

 ted with that of Perlepe 'and Bitoglia, for the defile between 

 the basins, which is of considerable height, contains no tertiary 

 rocks, and tertiary conglomerate is only found on the descent 

 to Perlepe. 



The same freshwater limestone deposit is seen at Vosage, and 

 on the small hill W. and S.W. of Gafadartzi, in some places 

 overlying greyish tertiary marl. We had also occasion to ob- 

 serve it in the form of travertine, and associated with calcareous 

 conglomerate, at a pretty large hill near the beautiful dolomi- 

 tic rocks to the W. of Uskub on the road to Kalkandel. La-* 

 custrine limestone, containing planorbes and other shells, also 

 occurs near Komanova, and I saw patches of travertine at 

 Aratschina (1J leagues E. of Uskub). This country, as well 

 as the base of the Karadagh, is skirted by a range of small hills 

 composed of greyish tertiary marls, and tertiary conglomerate 

 with fragments of slate, jasper, quartz, &c., in beds inclined at 

 an angle of 20 or 30 ; the same rocks, however, are nearly 

 horizontal at Istip on the banks of the Vardar. 



The Vardar basin contains a vast quantity of old alluvium, 

 which forms the plain S. of Uskub, and also the upper Vardar 

 basin to the E. and W. of Kalkandel. Some calcareous pud- 

 ding-stones belong to this epoch, as those on the old limestone 

 hills of Dobrotan, those to the S. of Kalkandel, and 1 leagues 

 from Kacsanik on the Pepentz. 



The beautiful basin of Perlepe and Bitoglia has, likewise, 

 along the base of the hills which border it, deposits of molasse 

 and marls, with a rich vegetable soil of lacustrine origin. Old 

 alluvial conglomerates are occasionally met with, as, for in- 



